Monday, May 28th, 2012
I hope you’ve had a lovely Memorial Day weekend! This is the first one we’ve ever experienced without sticky-hot weather and sunburns…I don’t really know how to act.
We had a chilly, cozy weekend and stayed inside for most of it. I baked this bread for the second weekend in a row and it’s a dream. This is the ultimate look-like-you-know-what-you’re-doing bread and it could not be easier (or more delicious).
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Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
So, I made cinnamon rolls almost exactly this time last year. I guess my brain craves cinnamon come cold weather and dreary skies. Those cinnamon rolls were good, but these are (without a question) so, so much better. They’re the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. I don’t say that lightly.
Kyong Millar, the sweet owner of my favorite boutique in Salt Lake City, graciously shared this recipe with me a few months ago, and I finally made it when we had some friends visiting just before Christmas. I couldn’t believe how good they were — satiny soft pastry wrapped around rich filling with the perfect vanilla-infused glaze on top. I dreamed about these cinnamon rolls for the next month until I had a chance to make them again and people, they are still so dang good.
This time around, I decided to make a half-batch of rolls, and made little miniature cinnamon rolls rather than big full-sized ones. Some late-night crazy brain and over-zealous dough rolling may have gone into that decision…but I’m totally happy with it! If mini cinnamon rolls means I can eat twice as many, I’m down.
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Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
We’re back! We had a long, lovely Christmas break, spending time with family and friends as well as a few days back in our cozy house. We will also remember this Christmas as the year I got strep throat + bronchitis while traveling several thousand miles from home…that was fun. I’ve never been so thankful for an inhaler, health insurance, and our comfy couch!
As soon as we got back to Portland, we spent three straight days on that comfy couch while I recovered…and then we got a little stir crazy. Homemade bagels have been on my list for ages and we somehow had a bunch of cream cheese in the house. Bagel time!
Every bagel recipe I’ve read has some version of “I can’t go back to store bought bagels now.” People, those are true words. As soon as these were done, Ryan said, “I can’t wait to make more bagels next weekend!” When your husband volunteers to make homemade bagels a week in advance, you’re living the good life. I’ll just say it. Clearly reducing carbs is not a New Year’s resolution in this family.
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Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
We’re on an English muffin kick. I’d call it a rut, except that I don’t want it to end (ever). I don’t even know when I started to like English muffins, but here I am buying one of those little sleeves of six every week (sometimes twice a week!) without fail. One night I sent Ryan to the store for something and he came home with a giant sleeve of TWELVE English muffins. Did you know they make such a thing? Glorious. Clearly we are not afraid of carbs.
I made these little beauties on Sunday afternoon and I’ll be honest — they took awhile! But for a day when I had lots of chores to do around the house and could stop sporadically, they worked out perfectly. And I couldn’t believe how well they turned out! Oh man.
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Monday, October 17th, 2011
On Friday I woke up with the strong urge to make bread. I also woke up utterly exhausted. I can’t reconcile the two either; it happens. It was Friday! Whatever.
Somewhere between multiple cups of coffee I found this recipe from the Joy of Cooking and like most of their recipes, its text was very simple, really only a few lines. The Joy of Cooking does not mess around and generally expects you to either (a) know what you’re doing, or (b) read their extensive notes on every food-related subject known to man. Being half-awake on a Friday, I was not particularly inclined to read anything, so I put on my yoga pants and hoped for the best.
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